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transcript
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CONVENTION
BETWEEN IRELAND AND THE FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA
FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION
AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION
WITH RESPECT TO TAXES
ON INCOME
The Government of Ireland and the Government of the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, desiring to conclude a Convention for the
avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect
to taxes on income, have agreed as follows:
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Article 1
PERSONS COVERED
This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both
of the Contracting States.
Article 2
TAXES COVERED
1. This Convention shall apply to taxes on income imposed on behalf of a
Contracting State or of its political subdivisions or local authorities,
irrespective of the manner in which they are levied.
2. There shall be regarded as taxes on income all taxes imposed on total
income or on elements of income, including taxes on gains from the alienation
of movable or immovable property.
3. The existing taxes to which this Convention shall apply are in particular:
(a) in the case of Ethiopia:
(i) the tax on income and profit; and
(ii) the tax on income from mining, petroleum and agricultural
activities;
(hereinafter referred to as "Ethiopian tax");
(b) in the case of Ireland:
(i) the income tax;
(ii) the universal social charge;
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(iii) the corporation tax; and
(iv) the capital gains tax;
(hereinafter referred to as "Irish tax").
4. This Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar
taxes that are imposed after the date of signature of this Convention
in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes. The competent authorities of
the Contracting States shall notify each other of any significant changes that
have been made in their respective taxation laws.
Article 3
GENERAL DEFINITIONS
1. For the purposes of this Convention, unless the context otherwise
requires:
(a) the terms "a Contracting State" and "the other Contracting State" mean
Ethiopia or Ireland, as the context requires; and the term "Contracting States"
means Ethiopia and Ireland;
(b) the term "Ethiopia" means the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,
when used in a geographical sense, it means the national territory and any other
area which in accordance with the laws of Ethiopia and international law is or
may be designated as an area in which Ethiopia exercises sovereign rights or its
jurisdiction;
(c) the term "Ireland" includes any area outside the territorial waters of
Ireland which has been or may hereafter be designated, under the laws of
Ireland concerning the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf, as
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an area within which Ireland may exercise such sovereign rights and
jurisdiction as are in conformity with international law;
(d) the term "person" includes an individual, a company and any other body
of persons;
(e) the term "company" means any body corporate or any entity that is
treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
(f) the terms "enterprise of a Contracting State" and "enterprise of the other
Contracting State" mean respectively an enterprise carried on by a resident of a
Contracting State and an enterprise carried on by a resident of the other
Contracting State;
(g) the term "international traffic" means any transport by a ship or aircraft
operated by an enterprise which has its place of effective management in a
Contracting State, except when the ship or aircraft is operated solely between
places in the other Contracting State;
(h) the term "national", in relation to a Contracting State, means:
(i) any individual possessing the nationality or citizenship
of that Contracting State; and
(ii) any legal person, partnership or association deriving its
status as such from the laws in force in that Contracting State;
(i) the term "competent authority" means:
(i) in the case of Ethiopia , the Minister of Finance and
Economic Development or his authorised representative;
(ii) in the case of Ireland, the Revenue Commissioners or their
authorised representative.
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2. As regards the application of this Convention at any time by a
Contracting State, any term not defined therein shall, unless the context
otherwise requires, have the meaning that it has at that time under the law of
that State for the purposes of the taxes to which the Convention applies, any
meaning under the applicable tax laws of that State prevailing over a meaning
given to the term under other laws of that State.
Article 4
RESIDENT
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "resident of a
Contracting State" means any person who, under the laws of that State, is
liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of
incorporation, place of management or any other criterion of a similar nature,
and also includes that State and any political subdivision or local authority
thereof. This term, however, does not include any person who is liable to tax
in that State in respect only of income from sources in that State.
2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an individual is a
resident of both Contracting States, then his status shall be determined as
follows:
(a) he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State in which he has a
permanent home available to him; if he has a permanent home available to
him in both States, he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State with
which his personal and economic relations are closer (centre of vital interests);
(b) if the State in which he has his centre of vital interests cannot be
determined, or if he has not a permanent home available to him in either State,
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he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State in which he has an
habitual abode;
(c) if he has an habitual abode in both States or in neither of them, he shall
be deemed to be a resident only of the State of which he is a national;
(d) if he is a national of both States or of neither of them, the competent
authorities of the Contracting States shall settle the question by mutual
agreement.
3. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 a person other than
an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then it shall be deemed
to be a resident only of the State in which its place of effective management is
situated.
Article 5
PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "permanent
establishment" means a fixed place of business through which the business of
an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.
2. The term "permanent establishment" includes especially:
(a) a place of management;
(b) a branch;
(c) an office;
(d) a factory;
(e) a workshop;
(f) a commercial warehouse;
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(g) a farm, plantation or other place where agricultural, forestry,
plantation or related activities are carried on; and
(h) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of
extraction of natural resources.
3. A building site or construction or installation project constitutes a
permanent establishment only if it lasts more than six months.
4. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, the term
"permanent establishment" shall be deemed not to include:
(a) the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery
of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise;
(b) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the
enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery;
(c) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the
enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise;
(d) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of
purchasing goods or merchandise or of collecting information, for the
enterprise;
(e) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of
carrying on, for the enterprise, any other activity of a preparatory or auxiliary
character;
(f) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any combination
of activities mentioned in subparagraphs (a) to (e), provided that the overall
activity of the fixed place of business resulting from this combination is of a
preparatory or auxiliary character.
5. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, where a person -
other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 6 applies - is
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acting on behalf of an enterprise and has, and habitually exercises, in a
Contracting State an authority to conclude contracts in the name of the
enterprise, that enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in
that State in respect of any activities which that person undertakes for the
enterprise, unless the activities of such person are limited to those mentioned in
paragraph 4 which, if exercised through a fixed place of business, would not
make this fixed place of business a permanent establishment under the
provisions of that paragraph.
6. An enterprise shall not be deemed to have a permanent establishment in
a Contracting State merely because it carries on business in that State through a
broker, general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status,
provided that such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business.
However, where the activities of such an agent are devoted wholly or mainly to
that enterprise and conditions are made or imposed between that enterprise and
the agent in their commercial and financial relations which differ from those
which would have been made between independent enterprises, he would not
be considered an agent of an independent status within the meaning of this
paragraph.
7. The fact that a company which is a resident of a Contracting State
controls or is controlled by a company which is a resident of the other
Contracting State, or which carries on business in that other State (whether
through a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of itself constitute
either company a permanent establishment of the other.
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Article 6
INCOME FROM IMMOVABLE PROPERTY
1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from immovable
property (including income from agriculture or forestry) situated in the other
Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. The term "immovable property" shall have the meaning which it has
under the law of the Contracting State in which the property in question is
situated. The term shall in any case include property accessory to immovable
property, livestock and equipment used in agriculture and forestry, rights to
which the provisions of general law respecting landed property apply, usufruct
of immovable property and rights to variable or fixed payments as
consideration for the working of, or the right to work, mineral deposits, sources
and other natural resources; ships and aircraft shall not be regarded as
immovable property.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall apply to income derived from the
direct use, letting, or use in any other form of immovable property.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 3 shall also apply to the income
from immovable property of an enterprise and to income from immovable
property used for the performance of independent personal services.
Article 7
BUSINESS PROFITS
1. The profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State shall be taxable only
in that State unless the enterprise carries on business in the other Contracting
State through a permanent establishment situated therein. If the enterprise
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carries on business as aforesaid, the profits of the enterprise may be taxed in
the other State but only so much of them as is attributable to that permanent
establishment.
2. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, where an enterprise of a
Contracting State carries on business in the other Contracting State through a
permanent establishment situated therein, there shall in each Contracting State
be attributed to that permanent establishment the profits which it might be
expected to make if it were a distinct and separate enterprise engaged in the
same or similar activities under the same or similar conditions and dealing
wholly independently with the enterprise of which it is a permanent
establishment.
3. In determining the profits of a permanent establishment, there shall be
allowed as deductions expenses which are incurred for the purposes of the
permanent establishment, including executive and general administrative
expenses so incurred, whether in the State in which the permanent
establishment is situated or elsewhere.
4. Insofar as it has been customary in a Contracting State to determine the
profits to be attributed to a permanent establishment on the basis of an
apportionment of the total profits of the enterprise to its various parts, nothing
in paragraph 2 shall preclude that Contracting State from determining the
profits to be taxed by such an apportionment as may be customary; the method
of apportionment adopted shall, however, be such that the result shall be in
accordance with the principles contained in this Article.
5. No profits shall be attributed to a permanent establishment by reason of
the mere purchase by that permanent establishment of goods or merchandise
for the enterprise.
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6. For the purposes of the preceding paragraphs, the profits to be attributed
to the permanent establishment shall be determined by the same method year
by year unless there is good and sufficient reason to the contrary.
7. Where profits include items of income or gains which are dealt with
separately in other Articles of this Convention, then the provisions of those
Articles shall not be affected by the provisions of this Article.
Article 8
INTERNATIONAL
TRAFFIC
1. Profits from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall
be taxable only in the Contracting State in which the place of effective
management of the enterprise is situated.
2. If the place of effective management of a shipping enterprise is aboard a
ship, then it shall be deemed to be situated in the Contracting State in which the
home harbour of the ship is situated, or, if there is no such home harbour, in the
Contracting State of which the operator of the ship is a resident .
3. For the purposes of this Article, profits derived from the operation of
ships or aircraft in international traffic include:
(a) profits derived from the rental of ships or aircraft if such ships or aircraft
are operated in international traffic or if such rental profits are incidental to
other profits described in paragraph 1;
(b) profits from the use, maintenance or rental of containers (including
trailers and related equipment for the transport of containers) used for the
transport of goods or merchandise, where such rental, use or maintenance, as
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the case may be, is incidental to the operation of ships or aircraft in
international traffic; and
(c) profits from the sale of tickets for the service of transportation by sea or
air on behalf of other enterprises.
4. For the purposes of this Article, interest on funds directly connected
with the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall be regarded
as profits derived from the operation of such ships or aircraft, and the
provisions of Article 11 shall not apply in relation to such interest.
5. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article shall also apply to profits
from the participation in a pool, a joint business or an international operating
agency.
Article 9
ASSOCIATED ENTERPRISES
1. Where
(a) an enterprise of a Contracting State participates directly or indirectly in
the management, control or capital of an enterprise of the other Contracting
State, or
(b) the same persons participate directly or indirectly in the management,
control or capital of an enterprise of a Contracting State and an enterprise of the
other Contracting State,
and in either case conditions are made or imposed between the two enterprises
in their commercial or financial relations which differ from those which would
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be made between independent enterprises, then any profits which would, but
for those conditions, have accrued to one of the enterprises, but, by reason of
those conditions have not so accrued, may be included in the profits of that
enterprise and taxed accordingly.
2. Where a Contracting State includes in the profits of an enterprise of that
State - and taxes accordingly - profits on which an enterprise of the other
Contracting State has been charged to tax in that other State and the profits so
included are profits which would have accrued to the enterprise of the first-
mentioned State if the conditions made between the two enterprises had been
those which would have been made between independent enterprises, then that
other State shall make an appropriate adjustment to the amount of the tax
charged therein on those profits. In determining such adjustment, due regard
shall be had to the other provisions of this Convention and the competent
authorities of the Contracting States shall if necessary consult each other.
Article 10
DIVIDENDS
1. Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a Contracting State
to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such dividends may also be taxed in the Contracting State of
which the company paying the dividends is a resident and according to the laws
of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the dividends is a resident of the
other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed 5 per cent of the
gross amount of the dividends.
This paragraph shall not affect the taxation of the company in respect of the
profits out of which the dividends are paid.
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3. The term "dividends" as used in this Article means income from shares,
including mining shares, founders' shares or other rights, not being debt-claims,
participating in profits, as well as income from other corporate rights which is
subjected to the same taxation treatment as income from shares by the laws of
the State of which the company making the distribution is a resident.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial
owner of the dividends, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on
business in the other Contracting State of which the company paying the
dividends is a resident through a permanent establishment situated therein, or
performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base
situated therein, and the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is
effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such
case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Where a company which is a resident of a Contracting State derives
profits or income from the other Contracting State, that other State may not
impose any tax on the dividends paid by the company, except insofar as such
dividends are paid to a resident of that other State or insofar as the holding in
respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with a
permanent establishment or a fixed base situated in that other State, nor subject
the company's undistributed profits to a tax on the company's undistributed
profits, even if the dividends paid or the undistributed profits consist wholly or
partly of profits or income arising in such other State.
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Article 11
INTEREST
1. Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other
Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such interest may also be taxed in the Contracting State in
which it arises and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial
owner of the interest is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so
charged shall not exceed 5 per cent of the gross amount of the interest.
The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall consult each other
regarding the mode of application of the provisions of this paragraph.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, interest arising in a
Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in that State, provided that it is
derived and beneficially owned by:
(a) the Government, a political subdivision or local authority of the
other Contracting State; or
(b) (i) in the case of Ethiopia, the National Bank of Ethiopia;
(ii) in the case of Ireland, the Central Bank of Ireland or the
National Treasury Management Agency.
4. The term "interest" as used in this Article means income from debt-
claims of every kind, whether or not secured by mortgage, and whether or not
carrying a right to participate in the debtor's profits, and in particular, income
from government securities and income from bonds or debentures, including
premiums and prizes attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures as well
as all other income treated as income from money lent by the laws of the Statein which the income arises but does not include any income which is treated as
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a dividend under Article 10. Penalty charges for late payment shall not be
regarded as interest for the purpose of this Article.
5. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial
owner of the interest, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on
business in the other Contracting State in which the interest arises through a
permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State
independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the
debt-claim in respect of which the interest is paid is effectively connected with
such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of
Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
6. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is
a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the interest,
whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State
a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the
indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and such interest is
borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such interest shall
be deemed to arise in the Contracting State in which the permanent
establishment or fixed base is situated.
7. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the
beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount
of the interest, having regard to the debt- claim for which it is paid, exceeds the
amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial
owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall
apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the
payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State,
due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
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Article 12
ROYALTIES
1. Royalties arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the
other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such royalties may also be taxed in the Contracting State in
which they arise and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial
owner of the royalties is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so
charged shall not exceed 5 per cent of the gross amount of the royalties.
3. The term "royalties" as used in this Article means payments of any kind
received as a consideration for the use of, or the right to use, any copyright of
literary, artistic or scientific work including computer software,
cinematographic films and recordings on tape or other media used for radio or
television broadcasting or other means of reproduction or transmission, any
patent, trade mark, design or model, plan, secret formula or process, or for
information concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial
owner of the royalties, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on
business in the other Contracting State in which the royalties arise through a
permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State
independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right
or property in respect of which the royalties are paid is effectively connected
with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions
of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer
is a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the royalties,
whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State
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a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the
liability to pay the royalties was incurred, and such royalties are borne by such
permanent establishment or fixed base, then such royalties shall be deemed to
arise in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment or fixed
base is situated.
6. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the
beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount
of the royalties, having regard to the use, right or information for which they
are paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer
and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of
this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the
excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each
Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this
Convention.
Article 13
CAPITAL GAINS
1. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of
immovable property referred to in Article 6 and situated in the other
Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. Gains from the alienation of movable property forming part of the
business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a
Contracting State has in the other Contracting State or of movable property
pertaining to a fixed base available to a resident of a Contracting State in the
other Contracting State for the purpose of performing independent personal
services, including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent
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establishment (alone or with the whole enterprise) or of such fixed base, may
be taxed in that other State.
3. Gains from the alienation of ships or aircraft operated in international
traffic or movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships or aircraft
shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in which the place of effective
management of the enterprise is situated.
4. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of:
(a) shares, other than shares quoted on a recognised stock exchange,
deriving more than 50 per cent of their value directly or indirectly from
immovable property situated in the other Contracting State; or
(b) an interest in a partnership or trust deriving more than 50 per cent
of its value directly or indirectly from immovable property situated in
the other Contracting State,
may be taxed in that other State.
5. Gains from the alienation of any property, other than that referred to in
paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4, shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which
the alienator is a resident.
6. The provisions of paragraph 5 shall not affect the right of a Contracting
State to levy, according to its law, a tax on gains from the alienation of any
property derived by an individual who is a resident of the other Contracting
State and has been a resident of the first-mentioned State at any time during the
five years immediately preceding the alienation of the property.
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Article 14
INDEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES
1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of
professional services or other activities of an independent character shall be
taxable only in that State unless he has a fixed base regularly available to him
in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing his activities. If he
has such a fixed base, the income may be taxed in the other State but only so
much of it as is attributable to that fixed base.
2. The term "professional services" includes especially independent
scientific, literary, artistic, educational or teaching activities as well as the
independent activities of physicians, lawyers, engineers, architects, dentists and
accountants.
Article 15
DEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES
1. Subject to the provisions of Articles 16, 18, 19 and 21, salaries, wages
and other similar remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in
respect of an employment shall be taxable only in that State unless the
employment is exercised in the other Contracting State. If the employment is
so exercised, such remuneration as is derived therefrom may be taxed in that
other State.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, remuneration derived by
a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment exercised in the
other Contracting State shall be taxable only in the first- mentioned State if:
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(a) the recipient is present in the other State for a period or periods
not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in any twelve month period
commencing or ending in the calendar year concerned, and
(b) the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who is
not a resident of the other State, and
(c) the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment or a
fixed base which the employer has in the other State.
3. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, remuneration
derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment
exercised aboard a ship or aircraft operated in international traffic may be taxed
in the Contracting State in which the place of effective management of the
enterprise is situated.
Article 16
DIRECTORS' FEES
Directors' fees and other similar payments derived by a resident of a
Contracting State in his capacity as a member of the board of directors of a
company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that
other State.
Article 17
ARTISTES AND SPORTSPERSONS
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 14 and 15, income derived
by a resident of a Contracting State as an entertainer, such as a theatre, motion
picture, radio or television artiste, or a musician, or as a sportsperson, from his
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personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting State, may be
taxed in that other State.
2. Where income in respect of personal activities exercised by an
entertainer or a sportsperson in his capacity as such accrues not to the
entertainer or sportsperson himself but to another person, that income may,
notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 14 and 15, be taxed in the
Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or sportsperson are
exercised.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, income derived
from the activities referred to in paragraph 1 within the framework of cultural or
sports exchanges agreed to by the Governments of the Contracting States and
carried out other than for the purpose of profit, shall be exempt from tax in the
Contracting State in which these activities are exercised.
Article 18
PENSIONS AND ANNUITIES
1. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 19, pensions and
other similar remuneration paid to a resident of a Contracting State in
consideration of past employment and any annuity paid to such a resident shall
be taxable only in that State.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, such pension, similar
remuneration or annuity may be taxed in the Contracting State in which it
arises if it is not subject to tax in the other Contracting State.
3. The term "annuity" means a stated sum payable periodically at stated
times during life or during a specified or ascertainable period of time under an
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obligation to make the payments in return for adequate and full consideration in
money or money's worth.
Article 19
GOVERNMENT SERVICE
1. (a) Salaries, wages and other similar remuneration paid by a
Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof
to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or
subdivision or authority shall be taxable only in that State.
(b) However, such salaries, wages and other similar remuneration
shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the services are
rendered in that State and the individual is a resident of that State who:
(i) is a national of that State; or
(ii) did not become a resident of that State solely for the
purpose of rendering the services.
2. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, pensions and
other similar remuneration paid by, or out of funds created by, a
Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof to
an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision
or authority shall be taxable only in that State.
(b) However, such pensions and other similar remuneration shall be
taxable only in the other Contracting State if the individual is a resident
of, and a national of, that State.
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3. The provisions of Articles 15, 16, 17 and 18 shall apply to salaries,
wages, pensions and other similar remuneration in respect of services rendered
in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or a political
subdivision or a local authority thereof.
Article 20
STUDENTS AND BUSINESS APPRENTICES
1. Payments which a student or business apprentice who is or was
immediately before visiting a Contracting State a resident of the other
Contracting State and who is present in the first-mentioned State solely for the
purpose of his education or training receives for the purpose of his
maintenance, education or training shall not be taxed in that State, provided
that such payments arise from sources outside that State.
2. In respect of grants, scholarships and remuneration from employment not
covered by paragraph 1, a student or business apprentice referred to in that
paragraph shall, in addition, be entitled during such education or training to the
same exemptions, reliefs, or reductions in respect of taxes available to residents
of the Contracting State which he is visiting.
Article 21
PROFESSORS AND RESEARCHERS
1. An individual who is or was a resident of a Contracting State
immediately before making a visit to the other Contracting State and who, at
the invitation of any university, college, school or other similar non-profitable
educational institution, which is recognised by the Government of that other
Contracting State, is present in that other State for a period not exceeding two
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years from the date of his first arrival in that other Contracting State, solely for
the purpose of teaching or research or both, at such educational institution shall
be exempt from tax in that other Contracting State on his remuneration for
teaching or research. An individual shall be entitled to the benefits of this
Article only once.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply to income
from research if such research is undertaken not in the public interest but for
the private benefit of a specific person or persons.
Article 22
OTHER INCOME
1. Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State, wherever arising,
not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Convention shall be taxable only
in that State.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to income, other than
income from immovable property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6, if the
beneficial owner of such income , being a resident of a Contracting State,
carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent
establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent
personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in
respect of which the income is paid is effectively connected with such
permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7
or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, items of income
of a resident of a Contracting State not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of
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this Convention and arising in the other Contracting State may also be taxed in
that other State.
Article 23
MISCELLANEOUS RULES APPLICABLE TO CERTAIN OFFSHORE
ACTIVITIES
1. The provisions of this Article shall apply notwithstanding any other
provision of this Convention where activities (in this Article called "relevant
activities") are carried on offshore in connection with the exploration or
exploitation of the sea bed and subsoil and their natural resources situated in a
Contracting State.
2. An enterprise of a Contracting State which carries on relevant activities
in the other Contracting State shall, subject to paragraph 3 of this Article, be
deemed to be carrying on business in that other State through a permanent
establishment situated therein.
3. Relevant activities which are carried on by an enterprise of a
Contracting State in the other Contracting State for a period or periods not
exceeding in the aggregate 30 days within any period of twelve months shall
not constitute the carrying on of business through a permanent establishment
situated therein. For the purposes of this paragraph:
(a) where an enterprise of a Contracting State carrying on relevant
activities in the other Contracting State is associated with another
enterprise carrying on substantially similar relevant activities there, the
former enterprise shall be deemed to be carrying on all such activities of
the latter enterprise, except to the extent that those activities are carried
on at the same time as its own activities;
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(b) an enterprise shall be regarded as associated with another
enterprise if one participates directly or indirectly in the management,
control or capital of the other or if the same persons participate directly
or indirectly in the management, control or capital of both enterprises.
4. Salaries, wages and similar remuneration derived by a resident of a
Contracting State in respect of an employment connected with relevant
activities in the other Contracting State may, to the extent that the duties are
performed offshore in that other State, be taxed in that other State.
5. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of:
(a) exploration or exploitation rights; or
(b) shares (or comparable instruments) deriving their value or the
greater part of their value directly or indirectly from such rights,
may be taxed in that other State.
In this paragraph "exploration or exploitation rights" mean rights to assets to be
produced by the exploration or exploitation of the seabed or subsoil or their
natural resources in the other Contracting State, including rights to interests in
or to the benefit of such assets.
Article 24
ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
1. Where a resident of Ethiopia derives income or gains which, in
accordance with the provisions of this Convention, may be taxed in Ireland,
Ethiopia shall allow as a deduction from the tax on the income or gains of that
resident an amount equal to the tax paid in Ireland. Such deduction shall not,
however, exceed that part of the income tax, as computed before the deduction
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is given, which is attributable to the income or gains which may be taxed in
Ireland.
2. Subject to the provisions of the laws of Ireland regarding the allowance
as a credit against Irish tax of tax payable in a territory outside Ireland (which
shall not affect the general principle hereof) -
(a) Ethiopian tax payable under the laws of Ethiopia and in
accordance with this Convention, whether directly or by deduction, on
profits, income or gains from sources within Ethiopia (excluding in the
case of a dividend tax payable in respect of the profits out of which the
dividend is paid) shall be allowed as a credit against any Irish tax
computed by reference to the same profits, income or gains by reference
to which Ethiopian tax is computed;
(b) in the case of a dividend paid by a company which is a resident of
Ethiopia to a company which is a resident of Ireland and which controls
directly or indirectly 5 per cent or more of the voting power in the
company paying the dividend, the credit shall take into account (in
addition to any Ethiopian tax creditable under the provisions of
subparagraph (a)) Ethiopian tax payable by the company in respect of
the profits out of which such dividend is paid.
3. For the purposes of paragraphs 1 and 2 profits, income or capital gains
owned by a resident of a Contracting State which may be taxed in the other
Contracting State in accordance with this Convention shall be deemed to be
derived from sources in that other Contracting State.
4. Where in accordance with any provision of the Convention income
derived by a resident of a Contracting State is exempt from tax in that State,
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such State may nevertheless, in calculating the amount of tax on the remaining
income of such resident, take into account the exempted income.
5. Where, under any provision of this Convention, income or gains is or
are wholly or partly relieved from tax in a Contracting State and, under the
laws in force in the other Contracting State, an individual, in respect of the said
income or gains, is subject to tax by reference to the amount thereof which is
remitted to or received in that other State, and not by reference to the full
amount thereof, then the relief to be allowed under this Convention in the first-
mentioned State shall apply only to so much of the income or gains as is
remitted to or received in that other State.
6. For the purpose of paragraph 2, the term “Ethiopian tax payable” shall
be deemed to include any amount which would have been payable as Ethiopian
tax but for any exemption or reduction of tax granted to promote economic
development in Ethiopia under the provisions of Council of Ministers
Regulation No. 270/2012 on Investment Incentives and Investment Areas
Reserved for Domestic Investors, as they may be updated or amended from
time to time, provided that the scope of activities covered by such provisions is
not materially changed up to the date of signature of this Convention. The
competent authorities of the Contracting States may consult with each other to
resolve any matter that may arise concerning the proper application and
administration of this paragraph.
This paragraph shall apply with respect to profits of the company during the
period of five years immediately following the date of entry into force of this
Convention. This period may be extended by agreement between the competent
authorities of the Contracting States.
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Article 25
NON-DISCRIMINATION
1. Nationals of a Contracting State shall not be subjected in the other
Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith,
which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected
requirements to which nationals of that other State in the same circumstances,
in particular with respect to residence, are or may be subjected. This provision
shall, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 1, also apply to persons who are
not residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
2. The taxation on a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a
Contracting State has in the other Contracting State shall not be less favourably
levied in that other State than the taxation levied on enterprises of that other
State carrying on the same activities. This provision shall not be construed as
obliging a Contracting State to grant to residents of the other Contracting State
any personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for taxation purposes on
account of civil status or family responsibilities which it grants to its own
residents.
3. Except where the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 9, paragraph 7 of
Article 11, or paragraph 6 of Article 12, apply, interest, royalties and other
disbursements paid by an enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the
other Contracting State shall, for the purpose of determining the taxable profits
of such enterprise, be deductible under the same conditions as if they had been
paid to a resident of the first- mentioned State.
4. Enterprises of a Contracting State, the capital of which is wholly or
partly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by one or more residents of
the other Contracting State, shall not be subjected in the first- mentioned State
to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith which is other or more
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burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which other
similar enterprises of the first- mentioned State are or may be subjected.
5. The provisions of this Article shall apply only to taxes which are
covered by this Convention.
Article 26
MUTUAL AGREEMENT PROCEDURE
1. Where a person considers that the actions of one or both of the
Contracting States result or will result for him in taxation not in accordance
with the provisions of this Convention, he may, irrespective of the remedies
provided by the domestic law of those States, present his case to the competent
authority of the Contracting State of which he is a resident or, if his case comes
under paragraph 1 of Article 25, to that of the Contracting State of which he is
a national. The case must be presented within three years from the first
notification of the action resulting in taxation not in accordance with the
provisions of this Convention.
2. The competent authority shall endeavour, if the objection appears to it to
be justified and if it is not itself able to arrive at a satisfactory solution, to
resolve the case by mutual agreement with the competent authority of the other
Contracting State, with a view to the avoidance of taxation which is not in
accordance with this Convention. Any agreement reached shall be implemented
notwithstanding any time limits in the domestic law of the Contracting States.
3. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall endeavour to
resolve by mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to the
interpretation or application of this Convention. They may also consult
together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in this
Convention.
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4. The competent authorities of the Contracting States may communicate
with each other directly, including through a joint commission consisting of
themselves or their representatives, for the purpose of reaching an agreement in
the sense of the preceding paragraphs.
Article 27
EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such
information as is foreseeably relevant for carrying out the provisions of this
Convention or to the administration or enforcement of the domestic laws
concerning taxes of every kind and description imposed on behalf of the
Contracting States, or of their political subdivisions or local authorities, insofar
as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to this Convention. The exchange of
information is not restricted by Articles 1 and 2.
2. Any information received under paragraph 1 by a Contracting State shall
be treated as secret in the same manner as information obtained under the
domestic laws of that State and shall be disclosed only to persons or authorities
(including courts and administrative bodies) concerned with the assessment or
collection of, the enforcement or prosecution in respect of, the determination of
appeals in relation to the taxes referred to in paragraph 1,
or the oversight of the
above. Such persons or authorities shall use the information only for such
purposes. They may disclose the information in public court proceedings or in
judicial decisions.
3. In no case shall the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 be construed so as
to impose on a Contracting State the obligation:
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(a) to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws and
administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;
(b) to supply information which is not obtainable under the laws or in the
normal course of the administration of that or of the other Contracting State;
(c) to supply information which would disclose any trade, business,
industrial, commercial or professional secret or trade process, or information
the disclosure of which would be contrary to public policy (ordre public).
4. If information is requested by a Contracting State in accordance with
this Article, the other Contracting State shall use its information gathering
measures to obtain the requested information, even though that other State may
not need such information for its own tax purposes. The obligation contained in
the preceding sentence is subject to the limitations of paragraph 3 but in no
case shall such limitations be construed to permit a Contracting State to decline
to supply information solely because it has no domestic interest in such
information.
5. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 3 be construed to permit a
Contracting State to decline to supply information solely because the
information is held by a bank, other financial institution, nominee or person
acting in an agency or a fiduciary capacity or because it relates to ownership
interests in a person.
Article 28
MEMBERS OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND CONSULAR POSTS
Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of members
of diplomatic missions or consular posts under the general rules of international
law or under the provisions of special agreements.
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Article 29
ENTRY INTO FORCE
1. The Contracting States shall notify each other in writing through
diplomatic channels that their constitutional requirements for entry into force of
this Convention have been fulfilled.
2. This Convention shall enter into force on the date of receipt of the later
of these notifications and shall thereupon have effect:
(a) In the case of Ethiopia:
(i) with regard to taxes withheld at source, in respect of amounts paid
on or after the eighth day of July next following the date on which
this Convention enters into force; and
(ii) with regard to other taxes, in respect of tax year beginning on or after
the eighth day of July next following the date on which this
Convention enters into force.
(b) In the case of Ireland:
(i) with regard to income tax, the universal social charge and capital
gains tax, for any year of assessment beginning on or after the first
day of January next following the date on which this Convention
enters into force; and
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(ii) with regard to corporation tax, for any financial year beginning on or
after the first day of January next following the date on which this
Convention enters into force.
Article 30
TERMINATION
This Convention shall remain in force until terminated by a Contracting
State. Either Contracting State may terminate the Convention at any time after
five years from the date on which the Convention enters into force provided
that at least six months prior written notice of termination has been given
through diplomatic channels.
In such event, the Convention shall cease to have effect:
(a) In the case of Ethiopia:
(i) with regard to taxes withheld at source, in respect of amounts paid
on or after the eighth day of July next following the date on which
the period specified in the said notice of termination expires; and
(ii) with regard to other taxes, in respect of tax year beginning on or after
the eighth day of July next following the date on which the periodspecified in the said notice of termination expires.
(b) In the case of Ireland:
(i) with regard to income tax, the universal social charge and capital
gains tax, for any year of assessment beginning on or after the first
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day of January next following the date on which the period specified
in the said notice of termination expires; and
(ii) with regard to corporation tax, for any financial year beginning on or
after the first day of January next following the date on which the
period specified in the said notice of termination expires.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly authorised thereto,
have signed this Convention.
Done in duplicate at Addis Ababa this 3rd
day of November, 2014, in the
English language.
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF
IRELAND:
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE
FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA
SEAN SHERLOCK.
____________________________
AHMED SHIDE.
________________________________
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PROTOCOL TO THE CONVENTION BETWEEN IRELAND AND THE
FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA FOR THE AVOIDANCE
OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION
WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME
At the moment of signing the Convention between Ireland and the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and
the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income, the
undersigned have agreed that the following provisions shall form an integral
part of the Convention.
It is understood that:
1. A Common Contractual Fund (CCF) established in Ireland shall not be
regarded as a resident of Ireland and shall be treated as fiscally transparent
for the purposes of granting treaty benefits.
2. With respect to paragraph 2(f) of Article 5, a “commercial warehouse”
refers to facilities maintained by an enterprise of a Contracting State for
storage of goods or merchandise for other enterprises for profit purposes.
3. With respect to paragraph 2(a) of Article 15, the reference to “in the
calendar year concerned” means the Gregorian calendar.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly authorised thereto, have
signed this Protocol.
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF
IRELAND:
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE
FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA
SEAN SHERLOCK.
____________________________
AHMED SHIDE.
________________________________
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